Arcana:  25

Ethel looks over Jan's sketches of what she observed on the box.  While she ponders their meaning, she casually remarks, "Whatever they are, you made the right decision not to test them."

"I didn't have any... subtle... ways to do so. We may have to consider bringing it out for you to have a look at, but hopefully I captured enough detail for you to get a sense of what is going on."

((Should have given Ethel some bardic as well... Could have gotten a 30+ roll!))

(Sorry for the delay)

As talk goes to the runes of the chest, Avaria gladly heads to the fir trees to try and get a better look at where they are heading.

Athletics: 12 + 6 (used the inspo) = 18

Ethel needs only the quickest glance to realize that the only way that chest is getting opened is by using magic. Magic has been used to seal it and magic will need to be used to open it. However, from what Jan has written down, she's pretty sure that there's at least one powerful protection glyph in place. She'd expect it to be an explosion, but is surprised that this appears to be something else. The glyph provides hints of necrotic energy draining power that would affect anyone who manages to open the chest with out dealing with the protections in place. However powerful an affect there would be, she can only guess at.

Avaria begins climbing quickly up the large tree but her pace slows as she struggles to get a good hold through some of the damp moss growing on many of the branches. She's ready to call it quits when she remembers Marrin's words of inspiration. She digs in a little tighter and is able to make it up just high enough to get a better view of the north.

To the northwest she sees the start of a mountain range, and estimates it would take a day or two to get to the foothills, part of which spreads out and covers part of the route she thinks they're likely to take. More directly to the north she gets her first glimpse of what kind of winter awaits them. In the distance she spots snow covered plains, and what might be a large lake another day or so past the foothills. Beyond that she can make out the faint outlines of even higher snowcapped mountains.

But closer to where they are now, and with some guidance from QuietWalnut, Avaria can spot what might be signs of a clearing a little northwesterly from where they are now. And rising from there she can see the ruins of a moss and vine covered tower.

((Oh, that's not ominous at all.))

Marrin watches Ava's climb with interest and calls up,

"See anything? Writhing hordes of undead?"

Otherwise she'll just sit and play a tune on her lute while chatting with Soren.

"I'd blame you for this but I honestly think I am the problem. Or maybe it's the lot of us together."

She gestures at the rest of the party.

"In all my years before meeting my current traveling companions I ran into four undead things. Three zombies and a hand. Just a hand. My brother crushed it with a bucket."

She sighs and continues,

"In the last month I have seen more undead than all that combined. Many, many more."

She fiddles with the lute's strings as she asks,

"You think it is just bad luck or does a god have it out for us?"

Ethel spreads the sketch out on the flattest surface she can find on the forest floor, leaning over it with narrowed eyes.  Her finger traces the glyphs lightly, her expression one of intense focus.  After a few moments, she exhales and looks up at the group.

"Whoever sealed this didn’t want it opened—at least, not by mundane means.  These glyphs... they are the lock.  No key or lockpick will ever open this.  And it isn’t just locked; it’s trapped.  I’d wager it’s tied to necrotic energy, likely draining anyone who bypasses the protections improperly.  How much it would take from you or what form it might take, I can’t say, but I wouldn’t want to find out firsthand.  It could even feed the seal with energy stolen from would-be thieves..." she trails off, looking at something in the forest.  "... But that's bald speculation on my part."

"The problem at hand is that the magic in these seals is potent.  Strong enough that it would need an equally strong hand to unweave it.  I have a few ideas about how to approach this, but it’s not as simple as speaking a magic word and hoping for the best.  It’ll take study—time.  Even then, there’s no guarantee I can open it safely."

She pauses, glancing at Jan's ring, then back at the sketch.

"Still, it’s possible.  I’ll do what I can to prepare.  Just don’t expect answers tomorrow—or assurances of success.  If I’m going to unravel this thing, I’ll need to approach it carefully. Rushing could kill me... or worse."

Then she folds the sketch up and puts it away with her other notes.

Soren pauses for a bit before answering, Marrin.

"Something is stirring up the dead," Soren says. "And there aren't enough trying to figure out what, or who's doing it."

He pauses again and looks towards the south side of the clearing. "I've heard it's getting really bad in the far south. Traveling on your own in Mulhorand is a death wish."

Soren sighs and shakes his head.

"The dragons that used to live in the Dragonswords would have prevented that from happening."

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Hamerdasher and Geffroi listen with widening eyes as Ethel gives detail on what Jan has discovered.

"And you're just carrying it around on your hand, willy-nilly lass?" Hammerdasher says to Marrin, looking with dread at the ring.

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QuietWalnut blinks her eyes open from what you assume was some sort of arboreal version of sleep. She stretches her upper branches up high into the sky and looks up a little to Avaria still up in the tree.

"The not yet dead roam about at the base of that tower." She says then adds "Are you ready to keep moving?"

"Well, I for one am glad that it exceeded my capabilities.... if I'd triggered the "Glyph of Necromantic Sucking", and it killed me inside the ring, there's a chance the whole thing would have popped like a bath bubble, and then it would have proceeded to consume all of you!",  Jan says cheerfully.

"I could give you four hours of studying it sometime... I think if I trance in between entering my ring, I'd be able to bring it forth, rest up, then return it to the ring for safe keeping.... if we think we can risk it out in the open for four hours."

"Dragonswords?"

Jan ponders what she's heard of the dragons of the Dragonswords, and if they might have a connection to her patron sent vision. 

History: 1

"Careful Hammy, the last lad who called me a "willy-nilly lass" speaks with a whistling lisp these days.", Jan says with a chiding grin, before her face turns more serious. "I don't like it any more than you... less, probably, but I'm stuck with the current state of things. My ring lets me cast some of my spells, so I'd not soon part with it, and if we pull it out, there's at least a chance that that trio of young dragons comes sniffing after us. Worst case, I sacrifice my ring near someone we don't like, then we blast the box with magic to try to set of the glyph. I can think of a couple Hargroves that could use a good energy draining..."

Dragonswords as well but (marginally) better than Jan: 10

"Well the undead are certainly being more lively than they have any right to be."

---

Marrin looks at her bare hands then up at Hammerdasher with mild confusion before Jan jumps in.

She shakes her head sadly. Racist dwarves, thinking all tall folk look the same.

---

Marrin, still watching Ava calls up after hearing Quietwalnut,

"'Are you able to make out how many 'not yet dead' we are dealing with?"

((Marrin is ready to go otherwise.))

Avaria holds onto the tree as she takes it all in.  "Pretty much!" she calls down to Marrin.  The snow covered mountains make her feel colder as she looks out from her perch.

But what is in front of her, it makes her even colder.  To Quietwalnut, "Are you leading us to that tower?  What is there?"

She jumps down and describes what she saw to the group.

"I did ask her to hold it while I was in it... she was probably in less danger than I was inside..."

"I'm thinking that marching right up is probably the best way to find out just how many there are the hard way... what's our best approach, Ava? Any ways we can thin the herd before we get close?"

((Honestly, doesn't look like there is much ground for the undead to wander around the tower right at the tower. Maybe 'around' means around the path to the tower?))

((I was assuming either the image was mostly to convey the vibe, vs tactical planning, or at the bottom of the cliff to the right.))

((Correct, that’s a good representation of the tower but not so much its setting - best Avaria could tell was the tower rises out of a clearing in the woods. She wasn’t able to make it high enough up in the tree to see the actual clearing or what might be in said clearing).

QuietWalnut nods the affirmative. “Yes. We think the barkless that lives in the tower controls the not dead.”

Taken a bit aback, Avaria turns to her friends, "Are we wanting to go where the barkless live?  I thought we were trying to go as fast as we could to cut off the Hargroves?"

"Yeah.... from what Ironroot said, they couldn't guarantee our safe passage while the barkless not dead are here... but if we clear them out, they'll be able to speed our way through the forest, and make sure the wolves don't eat us."

Avaria was asleep during the conversation with Ironroot.

QuietWalnut nods at Jan's explanation.

"The woods are not easy for your kind," QuietWalnut says to Avaria.

Ethel turns her attention back to QuietWalnut.  "What can you tell us about this 'barkless' that occupies the tower?  Have any of your kind ever spoken with it?  Does it react immediately with physical violence?  Spells?  Does it lead its not-dead from the front, or lurk in the rear?"

She looks at Avaria.  "I'll admit, I didn't quite grasp what Ironroot was asking of us.  I thought there were an assembly of undead it wanted us to clear.  I didn't gather he was sending us to their master's lair to confront the source directly.  This...".  She trails off. 

"Well, it should be an experience."

QuietWalnut listens and goes quiet again for several moments, that stretch into minutes.

Finally she nods at Ethel.

"They are like you," QuietWalnut gestures at Ethel. "Also like you." QuietWalnut gestures at the rest of the group. But then turns back to Ethel and gestures again. "But mostly like you."

She pauses again, thinking.

"I have not talked to them. I don't know if any others have. But they use magic to hurt trees and treants alike. Fire magic. Rotting magic. Changing magic. But they do not use swords or weapons."

She shakes her limbs at the rest of the trees around the clearing then slumps a little.

"I think if you do not do this you will struggle to leave the woods."